Authors:
Smithers LG, Gialamas A, Scheil W, Brinkman S, Lynch JW
Authors notes:
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. 2014;28(5):381-390
Keywords:
Anaemia, pregnancy outcome, child development
Abstract:
There is limited longitudinal data from high-income countries on the sequelae of anaemia during pregnancy.
The aim of this study is to examine whether anaemia of pregnancy is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and with children's developmental vulnerability.
There were 8764/124 061 (7.1%) cases of anaemia.
After adjustment for a range of potentially confounding factors, anaemia of pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of fetal distress and preterm birth <37 weeks gestation, slightly higher birthweight and newborns were less likely to require resuscitation.
Anaemia of pregnancy was not associated with children's developmental vulnerability after adjustment for maternal, obstetric and sociodemographic covariables, either in complete case analyses (n = 11 949) or after imputation for missing data (n = 13 654).
Anaemia of pregnancy is associated with perinatal complications but not with children's developmental vulnerability at school entry.